Nicole Anastasia, 25 of Westport, was charged by Fairfield police with use and possession of drug paraphernalia, risk of injury to a child, larceny in the fifth degree, larceny in the sixth degree and conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth degree.Photo Credit: Fairfield Police Department

Nicole Jackson, 35, of Trumbull, was charged by Fairfield police with risk of injury to a minor and conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth degree and were released on $1,000 bond.Photo Credit: Fairfield Police Department

Kendrick Jackson, 44, of Trumbull, was charged by Fairfield police with risk of injury to a minor and conspiracy to commit larceny in the sixth degree and were released on $1,000 bond.Photo Credit: Fairfield Police Department

FAIRFIELD, Conn. – Fairfield officers found 15 syringes used to shoot heroin in a car after they stopped two women and a man who were stealing more than $1,000 worth of merchandise from Stop & Shop, police said.

An assistant manager at the Stop & Shop on Kings Highway Cutoff told officers he had been contacted by the Villa Avenue store that a woman had stolen $470 in merchandise from that store and to be on the lookout, police said.

He told officers that after that call he witnessed a woman putting a large amount of Red Bull, Tide detergent and other groceries valued at $550 into a shopping cart before leaving the store without making any attempt to pay, police said.

Officers arrived as the manager and assistant manager were chasing the woman, later identified at 25-year-old Nicole Anastasia of Westport, across the store parking lot before the woman got into a green Honda Odyssey, police said. The officer detained all three adults in the car, police said.

In the car was a 1-year-old child of Nicole Jackson, 35, and Kendrick Jackson, 44, both of Trumbull, police said. Next to the child were 15 empty syringes, police said.

The Fairfield K-9 unit arrived and alerted officers that there were drugs in the car, police said. A search found a small bag in the third row of the car containing several items, including more syringes, police said.

The officers also found two license plates and a drill to change the plates in the car, as well as a driver's license, Social Security card and a bank card belonging to a person who was not in the car, police said.

All three told police that they intended to use the groceries to purchase heroin and that they had done this three times before, police said.

The Department of Children and Families was notified about the child, and all three adults were arrested.

Anastasia was charged with use and possession of drug paraphernalia, risk of injury to a child, fifth-degree larceny, sixth-degree larceny and sixth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny. She was released on a written promise to appear and taken to St. Vincent’s Hospital before her court date Nov. 20.

Nicole and Kendrick Jackson were both charged with risk of injury to a minor and sixth-degree conspiracy to commit larceny and were released on $1,000 bonds. Both are due in court Nov. 20. Kendrick was also issued a misdemeanor summons for misuses of plates.